Jimmy Carter wants to see President Barack Obama drop his efforts at bipartisanship during the next two years, and he thinks Obama will heed his call.

“In the next two years, President Obama will be much more independent in fighting hard to prevail and not trying to reach out,” the former president said in an interview with CBS News. “I think he’ll be a much more tough proponent of what he stands for in the future, giving up on Republicans’ support and taking his case to the American public.”

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VIDEO: Carter’s advice on CBS

POLITICO 44

Carter had a planned meeting with White House National Security Adviser Tom Donilon when Obama asked Carter to stop by for a meeting, Gibbs told reporters on Tuesday.

Gibbs wouldn’t say whether Carter’s visit was related to North Korea. “That is all I know, and I will try to find more,” Gibbs said before leaving the briefing room.

The former president has broad experience dealing with the secretive, unpredictable regime both during and after his time in office, and he helped secure the release of an American English teacher who was detained after allegedly entering the country illegally from China.

During the CBS interview, Carter said he thinks “the next two years might be better” for Obama without Democrats leading both chambers of Congress.

“Republicans so far have been totally irresponsible,” Carter said. “Now that they’ve taken control of the House of Representatives, they’ll be responsible for a major element of the U.S. government.”

Carter wouldn’t say whether Obama has asked for his help building a strategy for the next two years. “He doesn’t need my advice, but that’s what I think,” Carter said.

Readers' Comments (54)

Oh jimmie, you washed up has been. You say obama should drop his efforts at bipartisanship. What efforts? He said it loud and clear in 2008 - we won, get over it. Now that the American people have spoken, obama acts like he is trying to work with the Republicans, but on the other hand he squawks about executive power.

And as far as Republicans being totally irresponsible - well those are two words that can be applied to you and your running around the world making treasonous statements. The last time you were out of the country I was hoping your passport would be revoked.

Sadly, I voted for you. You fooled me once, shame on you, but you did not fool me twice.

Carter had the same senario in his last years in office, which led the way for the anti Liberal, Great Communicator, to be elected,,,,Ronnie Reagan.

So Obama do take Carter's advice. He even admits he lost his 2nd term re-election because he was weak at the 1. economy 2. he couldn't stop inflation 3. he couldn't free the hostages .

Basically Carter had no solutions. Hello? Barack Obama has no solutions except to send Hillary out to order some recon on foreign leaders intake of medications. What a wacky administration in this WH. America will embrace the next Ronnie-like Presidential candidate who calls Liberals out. After all Reagan was a Dem once for a short time. He knew them well.

Carter is correct. President Obama's efforts at compromise with Republicans were rebuffed and they were successful only in watering down the heathcare bill and Wall St. reform, etc.. Only the right-wing Republicans see President Obama as a liberal when his record is clearly middle of the road. There was no single payer system or even a public option both of which would have actually done more to change our profit-driven heathcare system and to hold down costs while allowing cheaper prescription drug imports from Canada, etc.

Despite all the carping from Republicans, the economy, job growth, and National Debt were all much better under Carter. He also has done more good than any other American president out of office. Carter's failing was that he was not a career politician and failed at working the deals with Congress which Clinton was able to do (though not always in the best interest for working class America like his sellout to Republicans on NAFTA). Also, few American soldiers or people world-wide died on Carter's watch. Most of the complaints against Carter came from following American established policies and he inherited inflation from Ford (remember the Ford WIN "Whip Inflation Now" program; the Iran hostage crisis came from our long-standing support of the Shah (in place with the CIA under Eisenhower) and the oil embargo came from US support of Israel during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war (which could easily happen again). Compared to Bush-Cheney nightmare fiasco, he looks like a sainted genius.

Obama has a two year history of caving into the rethugs at the least provocation. This tax cut for the rich fiasco will be the last straw for me. Should he cave on this one I will be looking for Hillary in 2012 !

Carter is a genuinely great man. If we had listened to him in the 1970s, the world would be a much better place.

And to think...we traded him in for Contras, no energy policy, outsourcing as a national goal, decades of union busting, the credit card economy, de-industrialization, and, eventually, wars around the globe.

Not exactly the kind of deal that gets you written up in the Harvard Business Review.

President Obama should listen to ex-President Carter's advice. And he can also listen to other statesmen's advice on how to deal with opposition party gone wild. Maybe he can read the Clinton's playbook for more wise advice but one thing he cannot do is to capitulate with the politicians whose main aim is to destruct his presidency.

People posting here are so rude, cruel and arrogant to ex-President Carter. And these are the same people that voted twice for that stupid ex-President George W. Bush and where USA are now..tsk, tsk - a laughing stock in the whole wide world....

oh yeah great president the guy was a idiot and not to mention the biggest wimp president i have ever seen obama comes in second but obama scares me more on international matters right now i wish hillary were in

oh yeah great president the guy was a idiot and not to mention the biggest wimp president i have ever seen obama comes in second but obama scares me more on international matters right now i wish hillary were in

oh yeah great president the guy was a idiot and not to mention the biggest wimp president i have ever seen obama comes in second but obama scares me more on international matters right now i wish hillary were in